Te Mata Peak in Hawke's Bay. Photo / Kirsten Simcox
When it comes to Hawke's Bay, Art Deco Napier shamelessly hogs most of the limelight. This time Peter Dragicevich heads straight for the Heretaunga 'H' zone: Hastings and Havelock North with old pal, Barry, from Sydney.
It seemed significant, momentous even, the arrival of my first overseas visitor since Covid: my old mate Barry from Sydney. Such an occasion called for a road trip at the very least. And given our shared fondness for a vinous tipple, Hawke's Bay was quickly identified as the target.
We had knocked off Napier on a previous roadie, with the obligatory photo with an ex (his, not mine) outside the famously gorgeous National Tobacco Company building to prove it. This time we homed in on Havelock North, a decision based entirely upon its proximity to my favourite Hawke's Bay wineries.
First night splurge
Monday nights can be hit and miss for expectant diners, even in the big centres, so it came as a pleasant surprise to discover that the area's top-rated option, Craggy Range, is open seven days a week. I've always loved their wines and the two-hatted restaurant didn't disappoint either. The menu is one of those verbose ones where they stop just short of listing the Tinder attributes of their suppliers. Thankfully the $95 set-sharing option removes the need to agonise over which dishes to swipe right on.
Barry, being on holiday and having me on designated driver duties, opted for the matching wine. If you're an aficionado, the additional $75 is justifiable when it kicks off with a decadent glass of Taittinger followed by four other top-notch wines including Craggy Range's own "Sophia" Bordeaux blend (normally $53 by the glass on its own!).
Three "snacks", two entrees, a substantial main (roast lamb shoulder with potatoes and fancy greens) and a dessert later, we waddled out of there well stuffed and impressed with both the food and the service.
Home base: Havelock North
On maps, the centre of Havelock North looks like a giant wheel, with six equidistant spokes radiating from a central roundabout. Our motel was positioned about where the tyre would be, so it took us all of three minutes to stroll to Maina for breakfast, a cool little cafe with a sunny front terrace facing the hub.
Bellies full of bagels from Maina cafe, it was time to check out the sights of Havelock North. To be honest, that didn't take very long – but what do you expect of a town with little over 15,000 residents?
The well-kept town centre has lots of apple-themed public art (including a rather saucy bronze Eve by sculptor Paul Dibble near the dinky information centre), a fancy butchery, a "food lovers' market" selling yummy-looking baking and salads, an interesting bookshop, a faux-Tudor pub, a Botox clinic and a boutique selling cashmere sweaters. I announced to Barry that we seemed to have landed in the Herne Bay of Hawke's Bay, which meant nothing to him, being from Sydney. It was soon time to head onwards and upwards, literally.
Standing on the shoulder of a giant
Dominating the southeastern skyline of the Heretaunga Plains, Te Mata Peak rises to a height of 399m, the loftiest point of a hog-back ridge of limestone pushed upwards by plate tectonics. As we were driving up, I explained to Barry that this prominent landmark, viewed from the right angle at the right time of the day, looks remarkably like a man lying on his back, and even the British settlers called it the Sleeping Giant.
Within local iwi, there is some dispute as to the giant's name. In some traditions, he is Rongokako, an ancestor of Ngāti Kahungunu, with the full name of the mountain being Te Mata o Rongokako (the Face of Rongokako). Others know him simply as a chief called Te Mata.
The drive from Havelock North to the car park at the top takes less than 15 minutes with extraordinary views over the entire region. On the day we visited the wind threatened to bowl us off our feet, yet the mighty peaks of Tongariro National Park were clearly visible on the horizon. Barry, being a Sydneysider, was stupidly excited by the sight of mountains covered in snow. Being an Aucklander, I was fairly chuffed as well – although I chose not to admit it.
The peak is part of a 108-hectare reserve, crisscrossed with 35km of walking tracks. We weren't tempted to explore them ourselves, what with the wind and the cold. Besides, all of that Hawke's Bay wine down there wasn't about to taste itself.
Winery woes
Apples were once Hawke's Bay's claim to agricultural fame, but these days grapes top the bill. New Zealand's second-largest wine region is well known for its chardonnay, Bordeaux-style reds and syrah, and has some of the oldest and most respected wineries in the country. What I hadn't banked on is that, outside the peak season, hardly any of the cellar doors around this part of the Bay are open on a Tuesday – which we discovered when we rolled up to one of my favourites, Te Mata Estate. When you've written guidebooks about a place, your friends expect you to know these kinds of things. Barry was understandably bemused.
Thankfully Black Barn's swanky little gift store was up and running, and they allowed us to try, for free, the open bottles that were left over from tastings at the weekend. This bucolic vineyard estate was gearing up to crack into overdrive come summer. Their longstanding Growers' Market kicks off on Saturday mornings from early December, and both Lorde and Gin Wigmore are due to headline shows at the amphitheatre among the vines in March 2023. A major fire took out their bistro in February and it is still being rebuilt, so we headed on to Hastings for lunch.
Hip-ified Hastings
The last decade has seen big changes in Hastings. The heritage Opera House, Municipal Building and Tribune Building have all been strengthened and restored. The latter two are now tenanted with new eateries, bars and homeware shops. Among the curvy lampposts and pastel-painted art-deco shopfronts of Heretaunga St there's now a classy gin distillery, and a bar that hosts live music and comedy gigs.
Our lunch stop was Opera Kitchen, an upmarket cafe housed beneath the high ceilings of a former power station. With no dishes over $30 and wines by the carafe, it proved a timely distraction from my failure on the wine-tasting front.
Afterwards, we filled an hour admiring the Spanish Mission whirls and swirls of the Westerman's Building, a display of edible garments at the Arts Centre in the Harvey's Building next door, the Art Deco clock tower across the road, and a trippy virtual-reality exhibition in the Hastings City Art Gallery. Outside the gallery we paused to examine Ngā Pou o Heretaunga, an assemblage of 18 carved figures representing ancestors from each of the marae in the surrounding area.
Farewell big fella
Dinner was at Mary's Wine Bar, an informal offshoot of Craggy Range's restaurant in the middle of Havelock North. While it's not exactly cheap, the service is impeccable and the bistro-style food first rate (I can wholeheartedly endorse both the cocktails and the gnocchi carbonara). It's part of a newish development on Joll Rd and shares a laneway and courtyard with highly-rated Japanese restaurant Piku Izakaya, Alessandro's Pizzeria, and Workroom, an industrial-chic cafe attached to Havelock North's own Firsthand Coffee roastery.
The following morning we dropped into Workroom for a coffee fix before hitting the road. Heading west along Te Aute Rd we didn't get very far before I saw something which had me slamming on the brakes, rousing Barry from his phone where he had been busy summoning a Madonna playlist for the trip ahead.
There it was, finally: the silhouette of Rongokako (or possibly Te Mata) stretched out in all his recumbent glory.
1. Most cellar doors are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays outside of peak season.
2. Craggy Range is open seven days a week for lunch, dinner and tastings, but bookings are required.
3. Havelock North makes a great base for food and wine lovers, providing easy access to the best cellar doors and eating options.
4. Put aside an evening to visit Hastings' unexpectedly hip bars, Common Room and Hastings Distillers.
5. Te Mata Peak is a must-visit attraction. Try to time it for a clear day that's preferably not blowing a gale. Bring hiking boots if you're feeling fit.
For more, see hawkesbaynz.com
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